January 1st, 1996. Microsoft releases the first Close Combat, which launches the most successful computer wargame series in history. Almost seventeen years and fifteen releases later, the most popular real-time tactical wargame is back! With the release of Close Combat: Panthers in the Fogby Matrix Games (www.matrixgames.com) and Slitherine (www.slitherine.com), the franchise goes full circle.

Close Combat: Panthers in the Fog depicts an historical battle that closely follows the events of Operation Overlord, which was the setting of the very first release. The Battle of Mortain, when the 47th German Panzer Corps launched a desperate week-long assault on the strategic position of Hill 315 where the U.S. 30th Infantry Division proudly defended the allied gains made during Operation Cobra and ensured the success of the breakout from Normandy and the liberation of France.

Close Combat: Panthers in the Fog has all the classic ingredients of its predecessors. Using an updated version of the engine, the game features factors such as ammo, morale, experience, suppressive fire, cover and concealment, along with weapon types, armor facing and penetration.

For the last time, the classic sprite and 2D artwork engine is used, but with improvements. With Panthers in the Fog, the game has been given a boost, bumping from the old 16-bit graphics to the much more detailed and impressive 32-bit graphics. Terrain and units look a lot better and players are now able to enjoy a never-seen-before level of detail.

With 35 linked battlefields and historically accurate formations and units, strategic choices are as important as tactical prowess. New features such as long-range interdiction, strategic high ground and adverse weather conditions give the player insight into the challenges faced by those who commanded both sides in this pivotal World War II battle.

The game includes more than 50 historically accurate key units and 47 weapon types rendered in exact detail. With 35 unique regions to fight over, the possibility of commanding up to 21 squads per battle and truly enhanced multiplayer experience using Slitherine's integrated lobby system, Close Combat: Panthers in the Fog has all the elements to become a classic like all its predecessors.

Close Combat: Panthers in the Fog is aiming to release this November. For more information on Close Combat: Panthers in the Fog, view the official product page on the Matrix Games or Slitherine website.

In our previous dev diaries we focused on the different available game modes, as well as the design behind the UI. Today we are going to cover a number of different subjects, but all have something in common: why we decided to make Empires Apart.

It’s no secret that we drew heavy inspiration from games that marked our childhood: Age of Empires, Empire Earth, and others. We wanted to bring back that feeling, the familiar atmosphere of games we loved, but also add our own touch, as well as modernize the formula, bring it to 2018’s standards. Empires Apart is, basically, the game we wanted to play.

“Everyone was talking and chatting, when slowly came into sight the first tank I ever saw. Not a monster but a very graceful machine with beautiful lines…. Here was the missing tool of penetration, the answer to the dominance on the battlefield of small-arms fire.”—J.F.C. Fuller

Matrix Games/Slitherine’s upcoming release of Brian Kelly’s Desert War 1940-42 uses a simple game mechanic often found in WWII board games. It gives tank units a “special place” in the player’s toolbox—a positive shift to the combat force ratio if attacking, and the opposite when defending. Coming up short of attack factors? No problem! Throw in some tanks. A 1 to 1 attack can become a 2 to 1, 3 to 1, 4 to 1, etc. In Desert War 1940

Hello everyone, and welcome to our last Dev Diary for Check Your 6! Today we're going to talk about aircraft Speed, Movement and Control. You can find a quick preview down below, if you want to read the whole Dev Diary just click HERE.